|
|
|
| MedNEWS | HOME | |
Lusa - Business News - Angola: Taxi drivers hit by 50% increase in fuel, fraction of European prices
Luanda,April.23,2024(Lusa)-Taxi and motorbike taxi drivers in Luanda on Tuesday defended an increase in fares to cover the increased fuel costs caused by the price of diesel, which was around 20 euro cents a litre. The increase in diesel, which rose by 48% on Tuesday, from 135 kwanzas (€0,15) to 200 kwanzas (around €0,20), is the talk of the day, especially at petrol stations, with Angolan citizens anticipating difficult days ahead. The new prices have already been posted at the Rádio Nacional de Angola petrol station in the centre of Luanda, but many consumers say they are surprised by the measure, which came into force at 00:00, and expect the "already difficult" situation to get worse for citizens who use taxis (private transport with nine seats, also known as candongueiros or 'blue and white') to get around. Taxi drivers are already talking about increasing their fares, which currently vary between 150 kwanzas and 200 kwanzas, depending on the distance, as an alternative to meet the current fuel prices, diesel 200 kwanzas and petrol 300 kwanzas (€0.30), complaining of doubling their daily expenses. "The price is skyrocketing. We used to get 20 litres for 2,700 kwanzas (€3.00), now we get 20 litres for 4,000 kwanzas (€4.40), this is bad, you have to look at this situation, it's going to create a lot of inconvenience in our work and also for passengers," Pedro Capitão Paulo told Lusa. Capitão Paulo, a taxi driver for 10 years who went to the Atlético petrol station on Avenida Deolinda Rodrigues to fill up his "blue and white" diesel, wants to raise the fare "to meet the expectations of the price of fuel". "Because we're accountable to the bosses, now at this price of 4,000 kwanzas [for 20 litres], we're accountable for 25,000 kwanzas (€27) a day. It's very complicated," he lamented. Vitorino Lourenço, a taxi driver, is also on board a diesel vehicle at the RNA petrol station. He said he was surprised by the new price of diesel and believes there will be "changes" to the taxi fare. Vitorino, who has been driving for 10 years, recognises that he will have to make new expenses to fuel his vehicle from now on and is calling for the taxi drivers' association to take a stand because this is a "complicated" measure. Moisés Katiavala Marcelino, who went to the Atlético pumps today in search of diesel, agrees, pointing out that the taxi drivers' associations reacted to the removal of state petrol subsidies last year. After filling his tank, the taxi driver, who has been in the business for 15 years, said that every day he spent 6,000 kwanzas (€6.70) to fill up his tank, a figure that he believes will double if he asks for a pay rise to "balance out" the increase in fuel prices. "It would be better if a rise in wages accompanied the rise in fuel prices. That's what's legal," he said. Osvaldo Paulo, a motorbike taxi driver for more than five years, told Lusa that the country is going through difficult times and that the situation is likely to get worse: "In this context, with the rise in the price of diesel, the price of the taxi fare may also rise, because if diesel didn't rise, things wouldn't rise (...)", he emphasised as he left the RNA fuel pumps, where the notice of the increases is also displayed. Taxi drivers, motorbike taxi drivers and other motorists who normally flocked to the petrol stations saw no queues and signs with the new price of a litre of diesel. The price of other products under the fixed price regime, namely petrol, light oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), remained unchanged. The Angolan government has decided to adjust oil products to market levels until 2025 gradually, starting the process with a change in the price of petrol in June 2023. DYAS/ADB // ADB. Lusa Agency : LUSA Date : 2024-04-24 11:19:00
|
||
ANADOLU AJANSI - AA
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE - AFP
AGENCE MAURITANIENNE D'INFORMATION - AMI
ATHENS NEWS AGENCY/ MACEDONIAN NEWS AGENCY - ANA / MPA
AGENZIA NAZIONALE STAMPA ASSOCIATA
ALGERIE PRESSE SERVICE - APS
ALBANIAN TELEGRAPHIC AGENCY - ATA
CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY - CNA
AGENCIA EFE,S.A. - EFE
FEDERAL NEWS AGENCY - FENA
CROATIAN NEW AGENCY - HINA
LIBYAN NEW AGENCY - LANA
AGENCE MAROCAINE DE PRESSE - MAP
MIDDLE EAST NEWS AGENCY - MENA
NATIONAL NEWS AGENCY - NNA
SLOVENIAN PRESS AGENCY - STA
SYRIAN ARAB NEWS AGENCY - SANA
TANJUG TACNO - TANJUG
AGENCE TUNIS AFRIQUE PRESS- TAP
PALESTINIAN NEWS & INFO AGENCY - WAFA
FEDERATION OF ARAB NEWS AGENCY - FANA>
INTERNATIONAL PRESS SERVICE -IPS
ORGANIZATION OF ASIAN -PACIFIC NEWS AGENCIES - OANA
EUROPEAN ALLIANCE OF NEWS AGENCIES - EANA
ASSOCIATION OF BALKAN NEWS AGENCIES - ABNA
FEDERATION ATLANTIQUE DES AGENCES DE PRESSE AFRICAINES - FAAPA
